


The Scout

by C_VSM



Series: ArkAU [2]
Category: ARK: Survival Evolved, Original Work
Genre: Gen, Third Person POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 21:21:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21735574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C_VSM/pseuds/C_VSM
Summary: Now relieved of his duty, Seren returns to Aberration to renew his element supply.
Series: ArkAU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566562
Kudos: 5





	The Scout

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in my own AU. While vaguely following the canonical story of the game, I do not intend to interpret it into this universe. These are my original characters, with their own stories and goals.

The sun was just setting as the man made his way through the subterranean valley. Not that it mattered anyway, he'll soon be far enough underground that the sunlight wouldn't be able to reach it even if it was the middle of the day.  
The creature below him moved slowly and silently, taking care to avoid the deadly flora with each step. Its posture was much more confident than back in the desert, the cool breeze of the sunken ark soothing it and ruffling its fur.  
The duo made sure to take a secluded path underground, they didn't want to voluntarily face any more danger than they absolutely had to.

Suddenly, the man noticed movement in the corner of his eye. He rapidly turned his head to face it, digging his heels into the sides of his mount to signal it to stop.  
But the movement disappeared just as suddenly as it appeared; there was no one to be found.  
The man sighed, connecting the dots. He tapped his mount's front leg to get it moving again, and spoke aloud, to nobody in particular;  
"I never understood how you always manage to find me seconds after my download."  
"A Managarmr on Aberration hardly goes unnoticed," the 'emptiness' around him answered. The voice was that of a man, stern, and not sounding much older than the intruder. It was coming from the side of a cliff, but there was no visible source to it.  
The rider turned his head towards the sound.  
"Isn't it uncomfortable to move sideways? Jump down, I don't bite."  
The voice snickered.  
"I don't believe a second of that, Seren. You wiped out half of my squad last time."  
Seren just shrugged.  
"Suit yourself."

The group continued their way in silence. The Managarmr underneath Seren turned her head to sniff for their companions a few times, but carried on with the same calmness as her rider.

Soon, they reached a steep hill descending into the bio-luminescent region. Seren reached onto his shoulder, where his featherlight, Meallán, was sitting, and tapped him lightly on the head. The creature ruffled its feathers and lit up, giving off a soft glow; enough to keep the nameless at bay.  
Seren turned towards their companions, who were soon to run out of wall space to climb on.  
"Are you going to jump down now? Unless you've mutated your rock drakes enough that they can actually fly now."  
The other didn't respond, but there was an audible whoosh of air, accompanied by the same type of translucent movement Seren had spotted before. He followed it with his eyes until he heard light thud on the ground, a good few metres to the side of him.  
"Move towards me and I'm emptying my shotgun into your chest," his companion warned, with audible discomfort and annoyance in his voice.  
Seren turned his head back in the direction he was heading, with a mildly amused expression.  
"I wouldn't dream of it."

They continued making their way through the ark, but at a much faster pace now. That area was much more dangerous than the previous; it would be unwise to linger in one spot for too long. Seren could hear the rock drake's claws digging into the ground beside him, and the wind whistling through its feathers as it glided through the air, trying to keep up with his Managarmr's fast jumps through the area.  
In a way, Seren felt a lot more comfortable with having company on this ark rather than not, even if he was just being monitored. It made the pressing darkness more bearable.  
They passed a lot more dangerous creatures, but since both of their mounts were gliders, avoiding them was no problem.

Nearing the molten element region, Seren slowed down, calculating his path to the nearest lake. Making his way over to it, he noticed the rock drake's footsteps falling behind. Was he being wary of radiation?  
"I won't lead you that far, I don't have a radiation suit on me either," he turned around, addressing the darkness.  
"What did you come here for anyway?" the voice called back, mildly panicking.  
"I'm low on element, so I came to pick up some," Seren replied in his usual monotone voice, hoping to calm down the recipient.  
Again, he got no answer, but the footsteps approached. He waited patiently until they stopped, merely a couple metres away.  
"I'm going to dismount now. Don't shoot me," he announced, climbing off the back of Yngvildr.  
He walked towards the edge of the lake, kneeling down, and retrieving multiple empty jars and a pair of radiation gloves from his implant's inventory. He put on the gloves, then carefully started dipping the jars into the molten element, filling them up with the glowing pink fluid.  
He put the full jars back into his inventory, took off the gloves, and walked back to his Managarmr.  
Swinging himself back into the saddle, he adressed his companion again;  
"I'm going to go to the surface now, to the obelisk, and return to Ragnarok. Will you accompany me, or..?" he left the sentence hanging.  
"Of course, I have to. The chief would lynch me if I lost sight of you, and then you went on to cause more havoc."  
The corner of Seren's lip curled up into something resembling a smile.  
"I only came to pick up element. There won't be any havoc tonight."

They started making their way towards the closest exit to the surface. The area was surprisingly empty, they only ran into a few bugs and snakes. Reaching the cliff, Seren comanded his mount to jump up, and he could hear claws digging into the side of the wall, trying to keep up with the Managarmr's pace.

On the surface, things were quiet. Too quiet. Seren checked his watch; he had more than enough time to reach the obelisk and upload himself back onto Ragnarok before the sun rose.  
"I'm up. Thanks for waiting," his guard's voice sounded from behind him. He gave him a nod, and started his sprint towards the obelisk. They'd have to be quick, the surface isn't a kind place.  
With Meallán's light warding off the reapers, all he had to do was keep Yngvildr away from seeker flocks.  
He made his way to the obelisk, only having to stop to kill the seekers following them three times.  
Turning around, he saw that his companion wasn't so lucky.

Underneath the obelisk platform he could see a greenish rock drake, now no longer invisible, biting at the two reaper kings in front of him. His rider was trying to help with a shotgun, but it wasn't doing much damage either. Seren noticed his fatal mistake - he had no light pet.  
Holding himself onto his Managarmr with only his legs, he guided it back off the platform and into battle, himself pulling out his tek rifle, and rapidly shooting at the reapers. His creature shot its icy beam at the enemies, promptly freezing them in place, while Seren lit them up with his rifle. Coming closer, they became engulfed in the light of his featherlight, which damaged them further and faster. They were tough creatures, but came down fast with the group's combined effort.  
Seren quickly scanned the area, rifle still raised, and was relieved to find no further signs of danger. He approached his companion, now finally able to see him.  
He was just as pale as Seren, but he had messy black hair that reached his jaw. His eyes were closed, and he was slightly shaking, but taking deep breaths to try to compose himself.  
"Are you injured?"  
"No, no, I'm.. okay. I think." The other took one last deep breath, then opened his eyes.  
"I don't go to the surface much. I prefer the fertile region," he continued, turning towards Seren. His eyes were just as pitch black as his hair, and quite frankly mesmerising. "Thanks for saving my life."  
Seren gave him a short nod, as a way to say it's no problem.  
"Let's just get to the platform."

Climbing back onto the platform, Seren noticed his companion hadn't bothered to make himself invisible again. Noticing his gaze, the other answered his unspoken question.  
"I'm a scout, we're not supposed to make ourselves visible to the people we're escorting. But it's no use now that you've already seen me. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention this to anyone."  
"On one condition," Seren responded, dismounting his creature and approaching the terminal.  
The other followed suit, standing on the opposite side of the terminal. Seren noticed now that he was much taller and thinner than him.  
"Which is?"  
"Tell me your name."  
The scout sighed, crossing his arms.  
"You know I can't do that."  
"What difference does it make? I'm an outcast, it's not like I have anyone to tell it to. I just want to know the names of people I deal with, especially if I'm running into them repeatedly."  
The other stared at him for a good few seconds, weighing his options. If there was one thing the trader was known for, besides his taming skills, was the fact that he always kept his word, no matter who he gave it to.  
"Fine," he sighed. "My name is Vytautas."  
Seren's lip curled up once more.  
"Nice to meet you, Vytautas."  
Vytautas noticed Seren's implant glowing with the same intensity as the terminal he placed his hand on, and that the obelisk above him has woken up.  
"If I were you, I'd invest in getting a light pet," Seren commented, just before the obelisk beamed him up, and the scout found himself alone in the pitch black darkness of the damaged ark.


End file.
